Friday, August 08, 2014

Poetry Friday - Of Modern Books

I'm especially fond of the pantoum as a poetic form. Here is a lovely example.

Of Modern Books
by Carolyn Wells

               (A Pantoum)

Of making many books there is no end,
   Though myriads have to deep oblivion gone;
Each day new manuscripts are being penned,
   And still the ceaseless tide of ink flows on.

Though myriads have to deep oblivion gone,
   New volumes daily issue from the press;
And still the ceaseless tide of ink flows on—
   The prospect is disheartening, I confess.

Read the poem in its entirety.


I do hope you'll take some time to check out all the wonderful poetic things being shared and collected today by by Mary Lee at A Year of Reading. Happy poetry Friday friends!

8 comments:

  1. Yep, it's a form I want to tackle again and again, because I think you can somehow say more by saying less, or say more CLEVERLY, or something with it. I do love me some pantoums, and I like this one especially.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the phantom form, and my students did too, Tricia. Today, the poem you shared is so perfect for all of us crazy readers. I hope you don't mind if I share it often!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Writing a pantoum makes me feel like I'm playing games, and I'm a member of the "always-picked-last" group. It goes counter to what my needs are in writing. However, that doesn't mean I don't like to read them, and this one is fun!

    ReplyDelete
  4. So clever! Must share. Thanks, Tricia!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great pantoum, and she rhymed it too. The poem is especially apropos for this age of ebooks, that don't even need to go through the paper, ink, and glue manufacture stage.

    Violet N.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Just as I love books about books, I love poems about poems or poems about words or paper, ink, and everything the wizardry of wordsmithing entails, thanks for sharing this pantoum! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. and there it is again, the word "myriad," this time with in plural.... I do believe the universe is speaking to me. Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful poem...what I needed to read today. Thank you for sharing. = )

    ReplyDelete